VOA慢速英语2020--了解你的大脑和混乱

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle Report.

In springtime, many Americans take on a major project: cleaning their homes from top to bottom. We often call this kind of work "spring cleaning."

Part of spring cleaning often involves clearing out clutter¹. We do away with things we no longer need – like old magazines, toys from our childhood, collections of things we no longer collect ...

If we are to believe the many stories on Marie Kondo, the Queen of Clean, clutter adds unnecessary stress to our lives. Clutter is holding us back from our dreams and goals.

But is it?

To answer this question, I spoke² with an expert on the subject -- Sabine Kastner of Princeton University. She has been studying how the brain processes clutter for 20 years.

From the start of our interview, Professor Kastner wants to make two things clear: Not all clutter is bad. And our brains can deal with it.

The media, Kastner says, often writes about clutter in a very simple, black-and-white way: Clutter affects the mind and we need to clear it out. But Kastner says it is much more complex than that. For starters, she says, our brains are designed to deal with clutter.

"Clutter is all around us -- all the time -- as soon as we open our eyes. And the fact that we do not perceive it as that...just speaks to this enormous capability³ that we have to deal with it."

Kastner uses a Christmas tree as an example. When we see a Christmas tree, we know what it is -- a sign of the winter holiday season. We do not need to see each separate item hanging on the tree to understand this.

Kastner says very early in the development of our eyesight, we begin to group objects that we see. This helps us to structure our environment. She explains that it helps us sort out anything that is not necessary.

"The attention system in our brains actually likes clutter because that is what it is used to. And it is using this cluttered⁴ environment to make meaningful selections⁶ from it."

Not one size fits all

When we talk about clutter and how best our brains perform around it, Kastner says there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. The idea that an uncluttered workplace is better, she says, is not "universally true."

Kastner says some people need to see their work. If something is carefully put away, to them it does not exist anymore. Out of sight, out of mind. For other people, objects can stimulate⁷ their creativity and give them ideas.

"Then there are other people who actually like that clutter. And they, you know, clutter their environment because it actually helps them. It almost like stimulating⁸ their brain to do something."

However, other people are unable to work in a cluttered environment. Kastner notes that some people may get distracted⁹ by having lots of things around them. These people may need more organization and less clutter to work well.

Some people do not care either way. Whether the area is cluttered or clear -- they work the same.

And for others it may depend on the project. For administrative¹⁰ work, they might need a clear workspace. But for more creative projects, they may need many things around them.

Like Kastner said earlier, it is complex.

However, on one thing, she is very clear: One way is not better than another. People need to be able to design their workspaces, she says, in a way that works best for them.

"But again I think it's important to take this all into consideration when you create workspaces because you need to give people, I think, the individual choices -- whatever serves them best."

To know how your brain reacts to clutter, Kastner says you need to take an honest look at your home and work environments. What is working and what is not? If your home or office is cluttered and you cannot find anything, you may need more organizing. However, if your house or office is cluttered but you can find everything you need – then perhaps your brain works fine around clutter.

Kastner gives this warning: Do not continue doing something that is not working for you.

She has another warning: We should not blame clutter for all of our stress and lack of productivity¹¹. There could be many issues involved in both.

Now, if you are wondering which way Kastner prefers...she likes clutter! Both at home and at work. In fact, she says she feels sad if her workspace is too clean.

"But I know a lot of people who really need clear workspaces. Those would be spaces that would depress me. I would never excel¹² in spaces like that. But I know that there are people who really excel in these spaces. So, they are just different from me. I think that's great and that's wonderful."

Kastner says our brains are all so different and that is what makes us who we are.

And that's the Health & Lifestyle report. I'm Anna Matteo.

Words in This Story

clutter – n. a crowded or confused mass or collection

interview – n. to question or talk with (someone) to get information

perceive – n. to attain¹³ awareness¹⁴ or understanding of

capability – n. the ability to do something

selection⁵ – n. the act of choosing something or someone from a group

stimulate – v. to excite to activity or growth or to greater activity

distracted – adj. having one's thoughts or attention drawn¹⁵ away : unable to concentrate or give attention to something

prefer – v. to like better or best

depress – adj. to be low in spirits

1 clutter   

n.零乱，杂乱；vt.弄乱，把…弄得杂乱

参考例句：

• The garage is in such a clutter that we can't find anything.车库如此凌乱，我们什么也找不到。
• We'll have to clear up all this clutter.我们得把这一切凌乱的东西整理清楚。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

4 cluttered   

v.杂物，零乱的东西零乱vt.( clutter的过去式和过去分词 )；乱糟糟地堆满，把…弄得很乱；（以…） 塞满…

参考例句：

• The room is cluttered up with all kinds of things. 零七八碎的东西放满了一屋子。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The desk is cluttered with books and papers. 桌上乱糟糟地堆满了书报。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 selection   

n.选择，挑选，精选品，可选择的东西

参考例句：

• We left the selection of the team to the captain.我们把挑选队员的工作交给了队长。
• The shop has a fine selection of cheeses.那家商店有各种精美乳酪可供选购。

6 selections   

n.选择，挑选( selection的名词复数 )；被挑选的人[事物]；选萃，选集；可供选择的东西

参考例句：

• These are selections from ten thousand. 这些是从一万个里挑选出来的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The band played selections. 乐队演奏一些选曲。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 stimulate   

vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋

参考例句：

• Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
• Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。

8 stimulating   

adj.有启发性的，能激发人思考的

参考例句：

• shower gel containing plant extracts that have a stimulating effect on the skin 含有对皮肤有益的植物精华的沐浴凝胶
• This is a drug for stimulating nerves. 这是一种兴奋剂。

9 distracted   

a.注意力分散的，思想不集中的

参考例句：

• When working, one should concentrate and not allow oneself to be distracted. 工作时要集中精力，不要分心。
• Noise outside distracted her mind from her studies. 门外的噪音使她心神不宁，无法集中注意力学习。

10 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

11 productivity   

n.生产力，生产率，多产

参考例句：

• Farmers are introducing in novations which increase the productivity.农民们正引进提高生产力的新方法。
• The workers try to put up productivity.工人设法提高生产率。

12 excel   

v.胜过，优于，杰出，善于，擅长于

参考例句：

• If your talent combines with diligence,you can excel in your pursuit.如果你把天赋与勤奋结合起来，你所追求的事业便会出类拔萃。
• He is working hard to excel his predecessors.他正努力超越他的前任。

13 attain   

vt.达到，获得，完成

参考例句：

• I used the scientific method to attain this end. 我用科学的方法来达到这一目的。
• His painstaking to attain his goal in life is praiseworthy. 他为实现人生目标所下的苦功是值得称赞的。

14 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

15 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。